Mar 6, 2015; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; The Oakland Athletics look on during the National Anthem prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a spring training baseball game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
In 2014 theOakland Athleticsranked 13th in the MLB with 146 home runs. In that same offseason the Athletics, spearheaded by GMBilly Beane, had another all out retooling of their roster. They traded away the likes of third basemenJosh Donaldson, outfielder/first basemanBrandon Moss, and catcherDerek Norris. Earlier in the season the A’s had also traded away stud left fielderYoenis Cespedes. Cespedes was not only the face of the Athletics roster, but a big source of power for the team.
All together, those 4 players listed above combined for 81 home runs — which was about 55% of all the Athletics’ overall home runs last season.
Oakland focused mainly on pitching and the future with their off season trades, but they did try to bring back some offense. They traded for former Blue Jays infielderBrett Lawrie, former White Sox shortstopMarcus Semien, former Tampa Bay Rays utility manBen Zobrist, and former Mets/Pirates first basemenIke Davis. They also made a free agent splash by signing former Royals designated hitterBilly Butlerto a three year deal.
Even with all of those additions, along with a solid core including right fielderJosh Reddick, center fielderCoco Crisp, and catcherStephen Vogt, the Athletics are only projected for 99 home runs.
If the current make up of the A’s team had been in place last season, they would’ve ranked 29th out of all 30 teams in home run total. Even worse, they would have been one of only two teams to not have reached 100 home runs on the season. 99 home runs would have been the lowest team HR total in the AL West — by far.
With the Mariners and Angels making improvements to their rosters, and the Astros on the come, it is key for the Athletics to find power on their roster if they hope to be competitive within the division.
These players — ranging from well-known to not so well known — must step up in the power category if the Athletics are to have any chance of competing in 2015.
Next: Billy Butler
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